You have just brought a brand
new car during your stay abroad and you want to show it off to your kith and
kin when you come to India---if you do not have a valid import license or if
you have not stayed abroad for 2 continuous years, forget the idea. Well, on
second thoughts you might be eligible to import the car if you have won it
as an award or if you are a journalist of a foreign agency. If you outlived
a benevolent aunt or uncle who have been residing abroad or happen to be a
physically handicapped person, the importing of a motorcar presents no
hassles. Remember however the new vehicle to be imported should have been
manufactured, assembled and already registered abroad. That is not all---the
speedometer, steering and controls and photometry should be identical with
their Indian counterparts.
In the case of second hand motorcars, the sale must have been effected prior
to its import and more importantly must have been registered in that country
prior to its sale.
One other fact that you should remember is that the time that elapses between the date of manufacture and sale should be less than 3 years. Like the new motorcar that is imported, the second hand car should also be compatible with the Indian one. Unlike the new motorcar, which can be imported through the customs port at Calcutta and Chennai, the second hand car should pass through the customs port at Mumbai.
Motor cars whether old or new attract custom duty, which is based on the
price of the car in the place of manufacture. This is called the basic
customs duty, which is calculated on the listed value of the car. Excise
duty known as CVD or countervailing duty, special additional duty (SAD) and
a cess are all added on to the Basic customs duty (BCD). The total duty to
be paid is arrived at. The car is now evaluated for the purpose of duty.
Trade discount and depreciation are subtracted from the list price and
Freight, insurance and landing charges along with the amount to be paid for
extra accessories are added to the balance value and the value of the car
for the purpose of duty is arrived at.
The duty to be paid
sometimes runs into a few lakhs of Indian rupees and one wonders whether
importing a car, new or second hand is really worth the while. To be able to
take the vehicle with you, you need to present some documents for scrutiny.
Registration documents attested by the Indian embassy, purchase invoices,
value evidence, insurance policy, passport and a bankers’ certificate
regarding the conversion of foreign exchange all need to be produced. In India one would require prior permission &
passing
from Road Transport authorizes ( The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
-
http://morth.nic.in/ offers some information for imported cars
registration.) -
import cars ~
author R. Almeida.
Category Transport : Transport organizations in India :: Transport in India